– We’re going to the country on Sunday! – the father said firmly. – It’s time to dig the ground for potatoes.
But the children showed no enthusiasm.
– Dad, why dig? – said Ben. – Let’s plant them right away, without digging.
– I’m sick of your country house! – daughter Gloria was less delicate. – It’s easier to buy potatoes in the store. And cheaper, by the way.
– You are just lazy! – the father disagreed with the children. – When potatoes are grown with your own hands, they are tastier. And grandchildren should also be taught to work. Gloria, tell them to come too. Ben, do you have room in the car for them?
– Dad, leave your grandchildren alone! We’ll plant them ourselves, we’ve been doing it for years.
– That’s another conversation! – my father calmed down. – I’m trying for you. And I am building a greenhouse there for you too. In winter you will remember me with kind words!
But the daughter did not agree with this either.
– Dad, you should take care of your health! What did the doctor tell you last time?
The father grimaced and did not answer. Ben changed the subject.
– You said someone wanted to buy your land?
– Oh, that rich guy with the jeep? – Dad immediately started up. – He can’t wait! He liked the view, you see! He has some plans to build a mansion there. He said – I will have a lawn here, I will not plant anything else! How can that be?! The land there is so fertile! And over the years, I have taken it all with my own hands. So he will not see any land!
– How much money does he give you?” Ben asked.
– No matter how much he gives! – the father remained adamant. – Why do you ask?
– Because the land is formally registered to me, – Ben smiled, – Maybe I’m already a potential millionaire.
– Money is nothing! It’s paper. I realized that long ago. And land is land. So on Saturday morning we are going to dig…
We did not have time to dig and plant potatoes on Saturday, so we had to go on Sunday. We finished only in the afternoon.
While Ben was working on the car, the father was boasting to his daughter about his farm.
– Look at the greenhouse I made! – he pointed to the construction, – I asked Ben to bring it in the fall. So in July we will have tomatoes.
Ben came over.
– All right, let’s go!
– Now, I’ll sit for a while, – my father leaned back against his greenhouse and closed his eyes.
– Dad, are you unwell? – Gloria was worried.
– No, daughter, everything is fine, we are going now, – the father replied and added, – I have some pills in my bag, please bring them.
After taking a pill and resting, the father became cheerful and energetic again.
– Children, I am trying for you. Gloria, I want your children to have fresh vegetables and potatoes of their own. And we need to prepare more for the winter. It’s hard for your mother, so help her.
– Dad, how many times?! Now you can buy everything in the store, and all year round. Why do you and mom continue to dig in the garden in your old age?!
– Daughter, don’t be lazy! You will save money on food and buy something for the children. After all, it’s a great vacation. Look how tanned I am today, better than at the sea.
– Now I’m going to take a week off from this vacation, – Ben grumbled rubbing his lower back.
– Let’s go already! – said his father. – Will you take me here tomorrow?
– Dad, I have to go to work!
– Okay, I’ll take the bus on my own…
– Ben, are you at work? – Gloria’s voice was excited.
– Yes, why? – he asked his sister.
– But I can’t reach my father.
– Did he still go to his dacha?
– You know how stubborn he is. Can’t you come home from work early? Why isn’t he picking up? Mom’s worried too.
– As usual, he left his phone in his jacket, and he’s working in his greenhouse, – Ben suggested, – Then he’ll see the missed calls and call back.
– I’ve been calling him for two hours, – Gloria admitted, – Ben, please come quickly!
– Okay, I’ll go warn the boss…
His mother and sister were already waiting for him at the entrance.
– Let’s go quickly, – Gloria said, getting into the car.
Ben drove past green gardens, but all his attention was focused on the gray strip of asphalt. It was more difficult for Gloria – her imagination was not occupied with anything, drawing pictures one gloomier than the other.
– “Why did my father cling to this country house?” she finally asked, unable to stand the silence.
– He has to do something, – Ben answered, – It’s boring to just sit at home, his grandchildren have grown up, they are no longer interested in him. And he spent his whole childhood in the village.
– But where did this strange desire to make us happy with these agricultural works come from?” – Gloria could not calm down.
– “From the same place – from childhood,” Ben tried to explain to his sister, “Childhood is the happiest time, and he wants to give us his happiness through digging potatoes.
The country house met them with silence. The leaves that had just blossomed were not yet rustling in the light breeze, and only birds were chirping in the high sky. Ben got out of the car and looked around.
– Dad! Where are you?!” he called out.
But there was no answer.
Gloria ran to the greenhouse made of old window frames.
Her father was lying near an undigged garden bed. Gloria took his hand and shouted to her brother:
– Call an ambulance!
…Forty days flew by like in a fog. Sitting at the memorial table, the mother suddenly remembered:
– We need to huddle potatoes. Maybe we could go?
– My eyes would not see this country house! – Gloria exclaimed.
– I agreed to sell it, – Ben suddenly admitted.
– But you are not going to sell it too soon? – his sister turned to him sharply.
– Forty days have passed, – Ben shrugged, – Besides, I need money.
– What about the notary, the inheritance documents?
– It is not necessary, the plot is registered only to me.
– And who’s the buyer?
– That rich guy who came to see my father.
– Do what you want! – said the mother, got up from the table and went to the kitchen.
Gloria carefully closed the door behind her and, lowering her voice, asked:
– How much is he offering?
– What difference does it make to you? – Ben answered displeasedly – the plot belongs to me.
The sister squinted unkindly.
– Ben, one plot was registered for you only in order to pay the notary less. No one could have imagined that you would do this. When did you make the deal?
– On Tuesday, – my brother admitted.
– “I’m coming with you,” Gloria declared, “and don’t you dare try anything!
…A strongly built man in a suit stood on the side of the road and looked at the overgrown with weeds plot, among which stood a ridiculous greenhouse building.
– “Is this the site, or what?” – the tractor driver asked him.
– Yes, – the man nodded, – So, look, rake all this junk here, to the road. The truck will be here in the evening, then you can load everything into it. And before that, the site must be leveled. Got it?
– Isn’t there a potato planted there? – the tractor driver pointed to a piece of land behind the greenhouse.
– I don’t care what’s planted there! – the man replied. – I’m going to build a garage there. Go ahead and start. It has to be clean by tonight.
The tractor driver shrugged his shoulders, climbed into the cab, and the tractor drove to the site…
